US election: Latest polls show Harris, Trump tied as voting begins

The presidential election in the United States has commenced, featuring former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, along with several third-party candidates.

News ID: 5366

Date: 05 November 2024 - 14:48

TABNAK, Nov, 05 : The race continues to remain tight according to the latest polls, with key swing states presenting narrow leads for both candidates.

According to FiveThirtyEight's daily tracker, Harris has a 1.2-point lead over Trump nationally, a margin that has remained fairly static in recent days, though it has shrunk compared with a month ago.

In swing states, Harris has a one-point advantage in Michigan and Wisconsin, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Meanwhile, Trump’s lead in Georgia and North Carolina has shrivelled to under one point, while he is ahead by 2.2 points in Arizona.

In Pennsylvania and Nevada, less than half a point separates the two: Harris has sneaked ahead in the former, though only marginally, after trailing Trump narrowly for the past two weeks; while the Republican candidate is barely ahead in Nevada.

Yet, the gap between the two candidates remains within the margin of error of polls in all seven swing states.

Pennsylvania has 19 Electoral College votes, the most among the battleground states, while Nevada has the fewest – six.

More than 82 million Americans have alreadty voted this year, according to a tally by the Election Lab at the University of Florida. The figure represents more than half of the total votes cast in the 2020 presidential election.

Polling stations across opened across all 50 states in the early morning of Tuesday, enabling citizens to vote in person or through early voting options made available in many jurisdictions.

Voters in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, actually marked the official start of the Election Day, as six registered voters of the tiny town were among the first in the country to cast their ballots in person. By tradition, all eligible voters gather at the now-dormant Balsams Hotel in Dixville Notch to cast their secret ballots once polls open at midnight.

Both candidates are focusing on seven key swing states, which are critical due to their competitive nature: the "blue wall" states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and the "Sun Belt battlegrounds" of Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina.

Current polling indicates close races in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin -- states that have shifted in political allegiance in recent years.

Trump had won all three of these states in 2016, while President Joe Biden won them in 2020. If Harris secures victories in all three this year, she would likely achieve the necessary electoral votes for the presidency.

As the election progresses, the results will be closely monitored. States will begin releasing unofficial results shortly after polls close, but official declarations of victory may take weeks due to varying vote-counting laws and the need for thorough canvassing and certification processes.

Aljazeera